บททั้งหมดของ The Billonaire’s Coded Obsession : บทที่ 21 - บทที่ 27

NARRATOR The words, "She's hired," still hung in the air of the boardroom, a decision that felt less like an offer and more like a sentence Michael had passed on himself. He didn't look at the approving nods of the board. His gaze was a brand on Layla's skin."Eleanor will get you settled," he said, his voice stripped of all warmth, reverting to the cool, impersonal tone of a CEO. He pulled his phone from his pocket, thumbs moving with sharp, efficient taps. A message sent. A command given.Layla forced a polite smile to the board members and walked out, the click of her heels on the polished floor the only sound in the silent, tense room. She didn't look back, but she felt him watching her until the door swung shut.In the hushed, opulent hallway, a woman was already waiting. Eleanor. Michael’s executive assistant was in her fifties, dressed in immaculate, severe grey. Her hair was a perfect silver bob, and her eyes held the calm, assessing look of someone who had survived decades i

NARRATOR’S POV The glass wall felt less like a barrier and more like a lens, magnifying her every move for the man who now sat like a king across the way, already absorbed in the ruthless business of his empire.She forced herself to sit, to power on her sleek terminal. The screen glowed to life, a map of Wade Global’s digital system unfolding before her. Analyze the building, she commanded herself, the hacker’s mind engaging on autopilot. Access points. Server locations. Security rotations. She began to map a cold, logical path through the fortress, a ghost planning her heist.But a tremor in her hands betrayed her. A thought, unwelcome and insistent, broke through the code.What did he mean about Denzel?Michael’s voice, low and graveled with warning, echoed in the quiet room. “He’s meeting with people who have real power, and real cruelty.”She had dismissed it as another layer of his overbearing control. But what if it wasn’t? Denzel’s rage at the club had been wild, unhinged. “I

NARRATOR’S POV Denzel didn’t let the silence stretch any longer.“Layla,” he said quietly, his voice steady but heavy. “Whatever the truth is about Michael’s and every dangerous thing he's entangled or caught up with, I’m determined to uncover it. It could destroy you. Or break you in ways you won’t recover from.”Her heart tightened. She folded her arms around herself, as if bracing for an unseen blow.“But no matter what,” he continued, stepping closer, “I’ll make sure you’re protected. I swear it. You’ll always be safe, Layla, and so will Anna.”She looked up at him, eyes glossy. “Then why does it feel like everyone who comes close to me ends up lying?”Denzel inhaled slowly. “Because sometimes the truth doesn’t show itself all at once.” He hesitated, then said, “For now, I need to pretend I’m working with Agent Miller. That’s the only way I can uncover everything. I need to see the full picture of his whole empire and the connection to the Planges. If I move too fast, people will

NARRATOR’S POVLayla’s eyes stayed locked on the screen as her fingers moved across the keyboard. Her heart pounded too loudly in her chest, every line of code feeling heavier today, like it carried weight beyond logic. She could feel Aegis watching,measuring every pause, every breath, every hesitation. She had just finished tagging anomalies when a slow knock echoed against the glass wall. She flinched.“Ms. Costov?”Layla looked up to see Eleanor standing outside her workspace, tablet tucked neatly under her arm. Micheal’s assistant never wasted movement; everything about her screamed precision.“Yes?” Layla replied, steadying her voice.Eleanor stepped in and placed a slim black folder on the desk. “Mr. Wade would like you to review this immediately.” Layla glanced at the cover—INTERNAL THREATS – CONFIDENTIAL—and her stomach tightened. “This is a priority,” Eleanor added calmly. “He wants your findings reported to him as soon as possible.”Layla nodded. “I’ll start now.”As Eleanor